Cotton-elevator and gin-feeder.



No. 760,494. PATENTED MAY 24, 1904. B. D. SORY.

COTTON ELEVATOR AND GIN FEEDER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21, 1903.

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No. 760,494. PATENTED MAY 24, 1904. B. D. SORY.

COTTON ELEVATOR AND GIN FEEDER.

' APPLIOATIOR FILED SEPT. 21. 1903. K0 IODEL.

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Patented May 524, 1904;

PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN D. SORY, OF GREENVILLE, TEXAS.

COTTON-ELEVATOR AND GIN-FEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 760,494, dated May 24, 1904,

Application filed September 21, 1903. Serial No. 174,080. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN D. Soar, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greenville, in the county of Hunt and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Cotton-Elevator and Grin-Feeder, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an apparatus for elevating seed-cotton from a wagon or platform and distributing it to a battery of gins, and has for its objects to produce a device of this character of simple construction in which a uniform quantity of cotton will be delivered to the gins successively, one in which the mechanism which feeds the cotton from the hopper or receptacle to the gin serves as a valve for preventing back draft or suction from the gin, and one in which one or more of the gins maybe cut off when desired or as circumstances require.

To these ends the invention comprises the novel details of construction and combination of parts more fully hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is a side sectional elevation of the same, on an enlarged scale, on the line2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a suction pipe or duct which receives the cotton from a wagon or the like and elevates it for delivery through branches 2 to the hoppers or receptacles 3, which overlie and discharge each into a gin 4. It may here be said that while I have illustrated the apparatus herein as designed for use in connection with a battery of four gins it is to be understood that the samemay be varied in this particular as desired to adapt it for any number of gins.

5 designates a series of pipes or ducts, each communicating at one end with the top of one of the receptacles 3 and at the other end with the side wall 6 of a casing 7, containing a feed regulating or controlling member 8, to be more fully hereinafter described, the duct-5 constituting, in effect, a continuation of the duct 1 and its branches.

9 indicates a pipe or duct communicating at one end with the casing 7 and at its other end with a casing 10, containing a suction-fan 11 of any desired form and driven in any suitable manner. It is here to be noted that as the fan 11 is operated air is drawn from and thus creates a direct suction through the pipes 1, 5, and 9, Which will elevate the seed-cotton and deliver it to the hoppers 3 and at the same time convey the dust and other impurities taken up with the cotton to and discharge them through the fan-casing. As the cotton is drawn through the pipe 1 it is delivered succe, sively and in uniform quantities to the hoppers or receptacles 3, thisdelivery of the cotton being controlled by the member 8, before alluded to,which fits snugly against the inner face of wall 6, through which the pipes 5 communicate with the casing. The member, which is fixed upon a shaft 12, journaled for rotation in the casing, is preferably in the form of a circular metal disk of a size sufficient to overlie the opening of all the pipes 5, the member being provided with an elongated slightlycurved aperture 13, adapted to register with and as the disk is rotated move successively over the discharge-openings of the pipes, the shaft being provided with a pulley 14, having belt connection with and driven from any suitable source of power for operating the shaft and-member. It is obvious that asthe disk 8 rotates the pipes will remain successively open during the registration of the aperture 13 therewith, thus establishing communication between the pipes 1 and9 through the thus successively opened pipej's'oand causing the cotton to be delivered? successively into the receptacles 3. 1t is also apparent that the amount of cotton delivered to the respective hoppers will be regulated by "the length of the aperture 13 or by the speedbf its passage over the mouths of the pipes,"this latter being controlled by the speed of rotation of the member.

The hoppers or receptacles 3 each have a reduced upper portion 15, \viththe side of which the branch pipe '2 and with the upper end of which the pipe 5 co1n1nunicates,there being disposed within the upper end of the casing above the point of entrance of the pipe 2 a perforated plate or member 16 and an underlying gauze screen 17 and over the end of pipe 2 a flap-valve 18, the purpose of which will presently appear.

The hopper also has an enlarged lower portion 19, in which is arranged a pair of downwardly converging endless belts 20 of a width equal to the width of the casing and mounted for travel upon horizontal rollers 21 22, disposed, respectively, at the upper and lower ends of the belt, the pair of lower rollers being drawn into close contact throughout their length by springs 23. These belts, which are designed to feed the cotton from the receptacle to the underlying gin 4, serve to close the lower end of the hopper and act as a valve to prevent back draft or suction from the gin, there being disposed at the upper end of the enlarged portion 19 of the receptacle a pair of pivoted flap-valves 24:, arranged above and to hear one upon each of the upper rollers 21 to entirely obviate the passage of air around the latter. It is to be particularly noted that owing to the downward convergence of the belts 20 they present at their upper ends awide entrance-opening for the cotton, and, further, actas a chute for guiding the cotton from the receptacle to the underlying gin. As the cotton is drawn into the receptacle in the manner above described the valve 18 will be swung partially open, as indicated in Fig. 2, thus serving to break the force of the air-current and permit the cotton to fall between the feeding-belts 20, the air-current being further interrupted and weakened owing to its passage through the perforated plate 16, which will of course divide the air into smaller broken currents. A certain amount of cotton will obviously be carried upward against the screen 17 and held thereby, the screen, however, permitting the passage of dust and other impurities drawn in with the cotton. After the aperture 13 in the controlling member 8 has passed the mouth of the pipe 5 the air-current of course will be cut off therefrom and the cotton all fall to position between the belts 20 and discharged by them into the underlying gin, the delivery of the cotton from the receptacle to the gin being accomplished while the air-current is cut off from the former. Upon the interruption of the air-current through one of the receptacles the valve 18 will of course close, and if it is desired to entirely out the gin off for purpose of repairing or the like this may be accomplished by locking said valve in its closed position.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I produce a device of comparatively simple construction which is admirably adapted for the attainment of the ends in view. It is to be understood, however, that I do not limit or confine myself to the precise details herein set forth, inasmuch as minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a plurality of receptacles and feed-pipes connected therewith, of ducts communicating with said receptacle and terminating at a common point, means for inducing a suction through said ducts, and a movable member disposed and constantly traveling over the terminals of all of the ducts for successively closing communication between the same and the suction means.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a plurality of receptacles and feed-pipes connected therewith, of ducts communicating with said receptacle and terminating at a common point, means for inducing a suction through said ducts, and a rotary disk disposed and constantly traveling over the terminals of all the ducts for successively closing communication between the same and the suction means.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a plurality of receptacles and feed-pipes connected therewith, of ducts communicating with said receptacle and terminatin g at a common point, means for inducing a suction through said ducts, and a rotary disk disposed and constantly traveling over the terminals of all the ducts, said disk having an aperture designed to register successively with the open ends of the ducts.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with a plurality of receptacles and feed-pipes connected therewith, of ducts communicating with said receptacle and terminating at a common point, means for inducing a suction through said ducts, a casing arranged at the terminals of the ducts, a shaft mounted for rotation in the casing, means for rotating the shaft, and a disk situated within the casing and operable by the shaft for constantly traveling over the terminals of all the ducts to successively close communication between the same and the suction means.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN D. SORY. Witnesses:

W. H. JAMES, S. L. ARNOLD. 

